Monthly Archives: January 2022

The ecosystem of credit lending platforms and technologies has rapidly grown in the past year. The top business priority emerging from the pandemic has been to prioritise investments in new artificial intelligence and machine learning models for smarter customer decisions. According to our latest report, business confidence in AI is growing: 81% up from 77% last year. Three reasons why data-centric AI models lead to more accurate and inclusive decisions More observations to better represent the population Easy o update with the most current data Enriched and expanded data sets for a complete view of the customer Stay in the know with our latest research and insights:

Interview with Donna DePasquale, EVP and GM of Global Decisioning, on winning a 2021 Bronze Stevie Award for Supporting Women and Employee Resource Groups Donna DePasquale, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Global Decisioning, has been awarded a bronze Stevie® Award in the “Women Helping Women – Business” category for 2021 in honor of her work supporting women in Decision Analytics and overseeing numerous employee resource groups across the company. She spoke about this with the Global Insights Blog. Q: Why did you think your work on helping women was worthy of this award? A: I’m a first-generation American and the first in my family to go to college. I knew since business school that I thought and acted differently from the other students, but that’s how I knew that I could add value, and that’s what I’ve always aimed to impart to other women wherever I’ve worked. I’ve been at Experian for many years and have always advocated for women at all levels of the organization. I have strived to be a mentor and championed women for growth in what is traditionally a male-dominated industry. And I’ve also tried to lead by example and with compassion. I’m a firm believer that the best results come from effective collaboration and open communication. I’ve been very lucky in my career and I’ve always been encouraged to express and share my point of view. At Experian, I try to pay that forward by encouraging all voices, and, in particular, women’s voices. Q: What did the Stevie Awards cite when you won? A: In 2018, we launched the Accelerated Development Program (ADP) to identify and mentor more women business leaders within the company. I worked with Experian’s Global Decision Analytics HR Director Richard Teague to develop this program. ADP welcomes mentees from all functions in the business. Each mentee is paired with a senior mentor who they regularly meet with for practical, on the job guidance and longer term career coaching. The mentees also participate in a variety of activities to develop hard and soft business skills. So far, the ADP has supported 44 mid-career, high-potential women on the Global Decision Analytics team in a leadership training program, and, on average, half of the women who participate are promoted within two years. The ADP complements another initiative which is important for many of our employees. We renewed our focus on DE&I in Global Decision Analytics a few years ago. We now offer five employee resource groups, which are Mental Health, Neurodiversity and Disability, LGBTQ+, Race and Ethnicity, and Gender which is focused on “Women in Experian.” These resource groups have played a valuable role for employees during the pandemic and during personal challenges. Q: Can you tell us more about the Stevie Awards? A: The awards, which are given in a range of different categories for small, medium, and large businesses, have been presented since 2002 for notable achievements in business to organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations. More on working at Experian

Mike Gross, VP of Applied Fraud Research & Analytics, takes a look at the seven top global fraud predictions for 2022. A new wave of deep fake synthetic identity fraud Fraud-as-a-Service is just a click away Real-time payments = faster fraud Fintech growth comes at a cost The two-fold reality of ransomware attacks Supply chain issues expand marketplace scams Digital identity’s convergence of identity verification and fraud detection Digital acceleration is transforming the way financial services providers connect with consumers. The rise of Fintechs, cryptocurrency, and embedded finance options from alternative lenders has changed the face of the financial services industry, and a secure but seamless customer experience has become the gold standard for businesses. Driving this demand is consumers, led firstly by a natural shift towards digital encouraged by disrupter technology providers and their easy-to-use products, and secondly by the pandemic-induced online boom. But with these changes come opportunities. And not always positive ones. As businesses grapple with how to keep up with digital demand from consumers, they are also dealing with an evolving fraud landscape, with online payment fraud losses alone set to exceed $206 billion between 2021 and 2025*. Fortunately, advancements in fraud detection and prevention methods have also accelerated, with machine learning and AI enabling businesses to keep pace with rapidly evolving fraudsters. But how have such rapid changes in the industry impacted criminal activity in this space? We look at seven key global fraud predictions for 2022. A new wave of deep fake synthetic identity fraud 2021 has seen a surge in deep fake identity fraud, and that looks set to continue. The development of AI to impersonate consumers’ voices and faces is becoming more prevalent, making it challenging for businesses to verify and authenticate identities. With recent advances in deep fake technology, fraudsters can leverage compromised identity data to bypass verification controls, and then either create new synthetic profiles with documents, facial images, and voice cloning to bypass identity authentication requirements for secure exchanges like government benefits sign ups. These deep fake tactics can impact businesses’ ability to recognize consumers across the entire lifecycle, but particularly at the point of enrolment and authentication. Detection and prevention of deep fake identity fraud involves applying a layered strategy of technical defenses along with a vigilant approach. Requiring identity data or documents in isolation is not sufficient. Organizations need to fight fire with fire by capturing digital and behavioral data to complement identity controls, then using AI and machine learning to analyze interactions and spot fraud. Fraud-as-a-Service is just a click away The use of automated bots by fraudsters to impersonate businesses and socially engineer their customers is also growing rapidly. As fraud controls become even more effective at thwarting traditional attacks, fraudsters see an opportunity to evolve their tactics and capitalize on advances in voice bots. In 2022 and beyond, a large portion of fraudulent transactions will be submitted by legitimate consumers who are being socially engineered to not only provide data, but to use their own devices to submit what they believe are legitimate transactions. Banks globally are already witnessing the start of this trend, as fraudsters can now purchase bots to contact consumers, impersonate their banks, retrieve one-time passwords, and forward those codes to fraudsters to complete fraudulent transactions. Historically, fraudsters couldn’t scale this type of attack to manage thousands of calls to consumer victims, but now they can just hire a bot that sounds and acts just like a bank reaching out to their customers. As a result of this success and the cost effectiveness of bots, fraudsters are expanding operations to impersonate every type of business, from retailers to government organizations. Real-time payments = faster fraud Faster money often means faster fraud. Real-time payments (RTP) increased by 41% between 2019 and 2020 and are set to rise again by 23% between 2020 and 2025*. From mobile payments all the way to Buy Now Pay Later, RTPs have provided ample opportunity for fraudsters to quickly monetize and cash-out – converting money to other forms of currency like crypto and then laundering the funds through multiple fraudulently-established accounts. The lack of regulation in cryptocurrency makes it an especially attractive target for fraudulent activity because attackers can more easily remain anonymous and funnel funds across currencies in mere seconds. Crypto exchange platforms have profited from the unregulated environment but are starting to pay the price when it comes to fraud losses. The speed of real-time payments presents unique challenges to businesses because they often can’t be revoked or easily traced, so detection can be more difficult. But the demand for RTP is only increasing, so consistent regulations need to be in place and organizations must be able to accurately verify and authenticate identities and transactions across channels in seconds to detect criminals preying on these faster payment methods. Fintech growth comes at a cost Buy Now Pay Later has exploded over the last year. Alternative lenders now dominate the retail landscape, embedding themselves in customer journeys, offering consumers fast and easy credit, and minimizing fraud liability for merchants. But these disruptive businesses offering tailored financial products based on vast amounts of customer data have the potential to leave the door wide open to criminals. A frictionless customer experience and easy-to-use technology has allowed these nimble businesses to attract millions of customers, and with it, huge volumes of fraud. According to Aite-Novarica Group, Fintechs have an average fraud rate of around 0.30%, which is double that of credit cards that average 0.15-0.20%. 2022 is likely the year that Fintechs put risk at the forefront of strategy. Without the right identity and fraud protections in place across their websites and apps, they not only risk fraud losses, but they could also damage brand reputation. And without quick, comprehensive fraud reporting back to the businesses they serve, they also risk enabling even more downstream fraud attacks. The two-fold reality of ransomware attacks As businesses experience extortion in the form of weaponized malware, the sophisticated nature of AI used in ransomware attacks is rapidly evolving, allowing attackers to be even more successful at extracting data and wreaking havoc. A business’s data is the primary commodity that the fraudsters use to negotiate ransom payments, but the stolen data of that business’s customers is often forgotten, which can be an even greater concern. This growth in ransomware and the availability of sensitive consumer and business data will not only drive attacks in 2022. It will likely change the nature and depth of those frauds using newly-available data such as business financials or consumer medical conditions or employment details in more pervasive attacks. Organizations falling victim to ransomware must understand all of the data that has been compromised and should notify its customers so they can take steps to prevent future identity or other fraud attacks. Supply chain issues expand marketplace scams We expect to see more issues with marketplace fraud as supply chain issues and inflation persist through 2022. Where there are supply gaps, fraudsters will meet the pent-up demand with products that don’t exist, scamming customers to part with money for nothing in return. In the current marketplace environment, it’s easy to set up a fake business with positive reviews. And because consumers have no way to verify the authenticity of a business, they roll the dice on what seems too-good-to-be-true, lose money, and then try to recoup funds from their financial provider. This is another area where BNPL providers will end up bearing responsibility for a lot of retail fraud in 2022, as they take on liability for the fraud and credit losses that fueled their rapid growth. Digital identity’s convergence of identity verification and fraud detection Password-free experiences led by the ubiquitous smartphone and the ability to make real-time payments has resulted in a demand for a seamless, uninterrupted customer journey. But central to all of this is identity authentication. As identity verification and fraud detection continue to converge, the big question is, how can a secure, consumer-friendly approach to digital identity be adopted and regulated, and by whom? The announcement of the European Digital Identity scheme shows that governments are beginning to move in this direction, but there is still a long way to go. As authentication and onboarding systems continue to be targeted by fraudsters, the bid to create secure, reusable digital identities to enable more seamless commerce and to mitigate fraud and criminal activity becomes more critical. This is a concept that is dominating the conversation and one that we expect to play a big role in fraud prevention in 2022 and beyond. *Juniper Research Stay in the know with our latest research and insights:

Did you miss these December business headlines? We’ve compiled the top global news stories that you need to stay in-the-know on the latest hot topics and insights from our experts. How are companies responding to consumer behavior? Nasdaq Trade Talk's Jill Maladrino talks to Steve Wagner, Global Managing Director of Decision Analytics, about the increase in online activity over the course of the pandemic, how inflation can impact brand loyalty, and why businesses need to respond to consumer demand with better customer experience and fraud prevention. Q&A: Why the increased use of digital transactions is here to stay David Bernard, SVP of Strategy, Marketing and Digital, talks to Digital Journal about how businesses should be approaching the increase in digital transactions using advanced analytics and decisioning technologies to improve the digital customer experience and grow their businesses. How criminals are using synthetic identities for fraud Dark Reading's The Edge talks to David Britton, VP of Industry Solutions, about why businesses must improve their fraud detection and prevention protocols to detect synthetic identities and ensure that they are protecting their consumers' personal information. Latest retail trends: AI is on the up, consumer loyalty is heading down Digital Journal looks at Experian's latest research that uncovers how businesses are incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence into everyday operations and investments in response to an upward trend in online activity and a downward trend in customer loyalty. Stay in the know with our latest research and insights: